Some prerecorded media, such as CD-ROMs and the various DVD formats, contain descriptive information (e.g., title, # of tracks, length) about the program(s) recorded on the media. This descriptive information allows a user to more accurately control the playing or reproduction of programs recorded on the media. Unfortunately, some prerecorded media, such as audio CDs or LaserDisks, do not include such descriptive information.
If a user wishes to incorporate content-descriptive information from, e.g., audio CDs or LaserDisks, then the data may be manually entered. For example, computer programs are known which utilize a computer's CD-ROM reader to identify the number of tracks and length of each track of an audio CD and store this information on a hard disk. Disadvantageously, a user must then manually type in the title and song names of the audio CD. The title and song names are then stored.
A jukebox is an apparatus containing a plurality of media, such as the familiar audio compact disk, which may be selected by a user. The selected medium is then, in the case of audio CDs, played via an audio reproduction system. Existing jukeboxes, such as those found in a commercial or public establishments, typically require a specific, physical layout of the CDs for viewing and selection by the user. That is, each CD is physically inserted into a particular slot such that the cover art and index from the CDs are visible to the user. Since all the CDs cannot be viewed at one time they are usually mounted on some type of carrousel. The user browses the available selections by sequentially viewing the slotted CDs through a clear panel. The user makes a selection by pressing a button or buttons corresponding to both the slot and track numbers. Disadvantageously, this mechanical display method is cumbersome and requires a substantial effort to set up. In addition, the selection method is prone to errors (e.g., selecting track 15 of a disk having 14 tracks), thus necessitating additional setup parameters to avoid such errors.
Therefore, it is seen as desirable to provide a technique for deriving descriptive information relating to media content without requiring user intervention. It is also desirable to provide such content-descriptive data in a form which may be readily utilized by a jukebox apparatus.